Child Trait : GeniusTeen Trait : MaterialisticYoung Adult Trait : AmbitiousBonus Trait : Quick LearnerC.A. Trait : Creatively GiftedAdult Aspiration : Renaissance SimCareer : Astronaut - Space RangerPotential Spouse : NoneLittle Howie was lucky in the looks and traits department, if not in love. His potential spouse up and disappeared from the neighborhood on the eve of the heir poll, so now he's on his own. Is that cute Joseph-Gordon-Levitt-esque smile enough to get him the votes he needs to win?It's all up to you!! Use the poll on the right side of this blog or comment here or on the forums to cast your vote! (NOTE : If you're voting via comment and not the poll, please be sure to let me know in the comment so I know to add it to the totals). Thanks so much everybody! Good luck to my babies! And as always, happy simming!AND THE WINNER IS . . . . .Howard Gieke!!Wow, I did NOT see that one. I guess the Joseph-Gordon-Levitt smirk did the job! It was a VERY close race this time, though. Kept me guessing right up to the end.We had 38 votes in total, thanks so much to everybody who participated!In last place was Penny, with a still-respectable 7 votes.Next in line was Leonard, with 8 votes.In second place was Sheldon with 10 votes.And our winner Howard just barely squeaked out with 13 votes!

So this means Astor will still have almost 2 weeks in-game to remain the 'heir,' as Howie still has most of his teen years to live through. Maybe in that time we can fix his woeful potential-spouse situation. :D

Thanks again to everyone who read, commented and voted in the poll. See you guys on the next update, and as always happy simming!

Heyo and welcome back everybody! It's time for another Gieke Legacy update, our final before the Gen 4 heir poll!!LEONARD - *chokes on cake* Wha?! Already?! Yep! I can hardly believe it myself--LEONARD - But I'm not ready yet!Don't worry, you will be by the end of the chapter.PENNY - *giggle* I have a boyfriend . . .

Meanwhile little Howie is still hard at work on the playing instruments part of his Artistic Prodigy. *puts in earplugs* Keep at it, little man.

The gen's eldest, Sheldon and Penny, get in some homework time while mom decides to shake her tail-feathers in the background. Purely supportive, mind.

Aww Alex. Why're you mad?ALEX - I'm gonna get that Grim Creeper once and for all!Yikes . . . back away slowly.

LEONARD - So Dad, let me get this straight . . . you came over to mom's birthday party and were essentially kidnapped into the household . . . and you saw nothing wrong with that?PAXTON - Well when you put it like THAT son . . . .Pax is still in denial as to the circumstances behind his joining the household. :P

LOOKIT! A Lumen sighting! She jogged past the house that afternoon and I couldn't resist getting a screenshot of it. HAI LUMEN!LUMEN - Bite me.. . . she still holds a grudge. :(

Our gen 4 prospects, all together enjoying some breakfast. And of course little piggy Leo is eating strawberry cake.

Macy decided to drop by, so Sheldon went out and schmoozed a bit with his lady.

Last time I told you I'd changed Astor's aspiration to a family one. It's the Successful Lineage. Here she is trying to get in some of the 'Read to a Child for 2 total hours' part done. Spoiler, I forgot to finish this before Leo and Howie aged up . . . FAIL.

Paxton recently maxed the writing skill (WOO POINT), and has started writing biographies to memorialize his children.

Adding them to the books that Alex wrote, we have one for the founder and every born member of the family. They are, in order; The Gieke Starts Here : The Life and Death of Chester Gieke, Trevor's Trebles, Sophia's Collections, Lumen's Nefarious LOLs, Dexter's Determined Mischief, Astor's Amazing Arbor, Sheldon Gieke : The Lover, Penny Gieke : The Mixologist, Leonard Gieke : The Crime Boss and finally Howard Gieke : The Space Ranger.I was gonna leave them out like this as part of the collections, but sims keep putting the books away so I gave up. XD

Poppy came over to visit Leonard that afternoon. He made sure to say hello.

By the end of the evening though, he'd migrated out back to the pirate ship to play with his little bro Howie.

The next day was a good ol' fashioned skill-a-thon. Astor was hard at work on her garden, with the ever-watchful Ferdinand keeping a weather eye on the proceedings.

Paxton was working on books to publish for his aspiration.

In preparation for his future career, Sheldon was putting the treadmill and pool to good use.

Penny was still rocking out the bar in between making family meals.

Bro hug! Though Leonard looks a little . . . intense . . .ASTOR - Why does it matter how your father ended up in the house? He's happy, that's the important part!PENNY - Just keep telling yourself that, mama. But what you call a 'Happy Ever After' they call 'kidnapping' in any other universe.PAXTON - Mmm pancakes! *still oblivious*SHELDON - . . . I'm staying out of this.

When not bringing up blasts from the past, Leo and Howie were keeping abreast in the nearby rocks. In doing so we managed to complete yet another collection, the fossils!

Plaque for proof! Alongside our frogs and MySims plaques.

Fresh out of the pool, Sheldon exchanged promise rings with Macy. D'awwwwww. She looks uncertain in this pic, but I promise she was happy.

ASTOR - You're looking happy, dad.ALEX - I did it! I finally managed to find your mother in the afterlife!ASTOR - That's great! Congrats!HOWARD - Maybe now that means you and gramma will stop haunting while angry and kick over our trashcan?ASTOR - We can only hope, Howie.

The other kids hurried off to school, but for Leo it was time for him to cake up into a teenager!

And here he is (after paying our 14,000 bills)! He really took after his mom and grandpa Alex in the face, I like the variety!He rolls the Neat trait and the Chief of Mischief aspiration, just like uncle Dex.

So the first thing he did was go shock the crap out of mom.FERDINAND - Not cool . . . .

Much like his aunt and uncle before him, I sent Leonard off to the Solar Lounge to channel his mean and mischievous ways on someone other than family members.

He ordered some sort flirty drink, Cupid something-or-other. I wondered if it'd make him Flirty, but we never found out. He canceled his drink action after this shot was taken and the drink disappeared.LAME. >_<

Leo proceeded to take out his frustrations on the surrounding ladies. In no time his Disliked by 2 Sims requirement was met, so I sent him back home.

Where he called over a very special someone. ;)

Miss Poppy Hwang had recently aged up to a teen as well. The hat is unfortunate, but I really like her face and eyes. :D And despite Leo's frownie-face in the background, he does too.

Already great friends from childhood, Leo wastes no time starting in on the flirts.

First Kiss!

And Poppy happily accepts Leo's request to be his girlfriend afterward. Selfie celebration!

The rest of the family was in the dining room eating/reading/doing homework. Sheldon is currently displaying his telepathic powers, since his homework is on the opposite side of the table.Leo's in the BG, still schmoozing Poppy.

Up next was Albert. Penny made sure to show him some love.

Then she too exchanged promise rings with her BF.

Paxton tries to hide, but there ain't no hiding from Astor when she wants somethin. And she wants it NAO. Rawr.

The next morning it was time for her adult birthday. She looks less than enthused . . .

But no need to worry. Astor looks exactly the same.

Legacy Homework Parties never get old. LEONARD - You have to be worried that you're not going to get enough face time as a teenager to help sway votes.HOWARD - I would, except I'm ME. I'm far too awesome to be worried.ASTOR - I'm on my way to feed Ferdinand, but the action just cancelled? How come?

NUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!*flails* Not my Ferdinand!!!!

Despite my broken feels and protests, Ferdy is no more. ;_; I put him in the graveyard. And the sobs commenced.

But enough of that! It's time for our youngest to finally leave childhood behind. Howard's only got 3 days as a teen before his brother Shelly hits YA, so we'll try to make the most of it.A lick of the frosting . . .

And teen-Howie is here. He rolls the Materialistic trait and the Renaissance Sim aspiration.

Howie didn't get a child girlfriend because there weren't any more his age and I didn't want to add a legacy loves family for just ONE and potentially waste the others. So I decided to wait until he was a teen.Since teen-dom has been achieved, he got sent to the park to start the hunt. And who should he meet? Aunt Lumen!LUMEN - You've got no idea, kid. No idea at all.HOWARD - Um, I know how to play chess Auntie Lu. DEXTER - *in BG* That's not what she meant!LUMEN - NO idea . . .

Much of the day passed and I was about to lose hope, but then we finally spotted a fellow female teen! Taking a selfie, how appropriate.

Still playing chess with Lumen, Howard queued up a Friendly Introduction so she made her way over. And was immediately put out by the creepy bald guy next to her.I don't blame her. O_o

Auntie Lu wandered off, so Howard offered the other seat to his new friend. She happily took him up on it. They shared a great game and some wonderful chit-cat, despite the creeper audience.

As the sun began to set, Howard traded out the friendly spam for flirty spam. Results were promising.

First Kiss!

She agreed to be his girlfriend!You might have noticed that I've yet to share 'her' name. That's because I couldn't remember it. I just went in-game to find it, and she's completely disappeared out of his relationship panel.So . . . this entire sequence was a lie. >_<!!!Note to self, don't bother romancing random townies lest they be culled. Only actual-placed legacy loves from now on.

LEONARD - Man, so, not only do you only have a couple of days to get fans, but your mysterious 'girlfriend' that you met at the park today up and disappeared? Did she even really exist at all? I'm skeptical.HOWARD - Bite me, Leo. PENNY - Down, girls. Sheath the claws.PAXTON - Life is so much simpler if I don't get involved.PENNY - That's your life's motto isn't it daddy?PAXTON - Yup.

HOWARD - You believe me, don't you mom? I really DID meet a girl at the park.ASTOR - Mhmm sweetie, sure.

HOWARD - . . . fml. LEONARD - Lawl.

SOPHIA - This is a tasty cocktail.Well Soph, you're looking much more cheerful since Alex fixed your afterlife problem.SOPHIA - Yup. Alex reported Grim Creeper to the Underworld's Inhuman Resources and he got canned for inappropriate behavior. The new guy fixed our situation immediately.Well that's some good news at least. Who do you think will be taking over the family?SOPHIA - Oh I can't play favorites. I'll be happy with any of them. *sips drink*Uh . . . huh.

Well, since I'm getting no help from Sophia here, it's up to you guys to choose the next heir of the Gieke Legacy! Stay tuned, the heir poll is up next!